NOT SOLD (BIDDING OVER)
0.00USD+ applicable fees & taxes.
This item WAS NOT SOLD. Auction date was 2023 Jun 17 @ 08:00UTC-7 : PDT/MST
SHIPPING & HANDLING: The customer is responsible for all shipping and packaging charges. We offer shipping service as a convenience to our buyers. Items are not shipped until the invoice and shipping charges are completely paid. Shipping costs will be calculated and billed separately after your items have been paid for. Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers: FedEx, UPS, USPS or DHL. Pick up is available from our Reno office, once you have received your invoice post auction
Extremely rare; only known example of this assay document. Assay certificate dated Sept. 22nd, 1868, for a deposit by OS Carville for the Summit Mill. This 47 ounce deposit is atypical for the Comstock since it is higher in gold content than silver (581 vs 356 fineness). This unique form breaks down the assay fees and values in extreme detail. The reverse includes notes on the bullion, as well as tips to "secure good retorting" and coin rates of charge. The bottom of the form lists Conrad Wiegand and mentions that he is "Formerly Supervising Assayer of U.S. Mint, San Francisco, and Late Sup't. of Assaying at the Gould & Curry Mill, Virginia City, Nev." Printed in blue ink by Enterprise Print (the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City). 14 x 8.5" The Summit Mill was located at the north end of Virginia City. It had 20 stamps and a 35-ton-a-day capacity. It was shutdown in 1870 and dismantled in 1872. [Ansari]
CONRAD WIEGAND BIO (excerpted from "A Western Assayer of the Mark Twain Period" by Fred Holabird)
Conrad Wiegand was a boisterous man who was born in Philadelphia, worked for the US Mint, and came to the California Gold Rush in the early 1850's. He went to work for the US Branch Mint in San Francisco at or near its inception in 1854.
Wiegand was small in stature, but big in ideas, and even stronger still in his opinions. He was a devoutly religious person who saw such injustice in the world that he undertook the publishing of his own newspaperótwo of them, in fact. His other passion was the metals question, particularly his political stance generally held by most miners that money should be in the form of circulating hard specieógold and silver coinage and ingots. Wiegand's outspoken nature repeatedly got him into trouble, especially during his life on the Comstock.
After being forced out of the mint in 1864, Wiegand immediately went to work at the newly constructed huge mill of the Gould & Curry Gold & Silver Mining Company located at the intersection of Six and Seven Mile canyons about a mile below Virginia City. The Gould & Curry had struck a bonanza ore deposit in 1862-3 which vaulted the company into becoming the leading producer of gold and silver in America. A new mill was built to handle the ore, and the company was so big at the time that it employed about a third of the local work force. Louis Janin, the mine and mill superintendent, must have been happy to have one of the key assayers from the Branch Mint helping manage the company's operations. Wiegand had been recommended by Thomas Starr King of San Francisco, the brother of James King, of William, assassinated in 1856. But Janin, a well trained mining engineer of the Freiberg School of Mines, was a tough taskmaster, and probably did not tolerate Wiegand's antics.
Wiegand's job with the Gould & Curry lasted only a few months. With business booming on the Comstock, Wiegand went into business for himself. At that time he must have decided to open his own assay office on the Comstock, and began preparations to relocate to Gold Hill, Nevada, just south of Virginia City.
Wiegand opened the Gold Hill Assay Office on May 14, 1865ÖHe was financed by the Bank of California through his friend William Chapman Ralston, whom he had befriended in San Francisco. Ralston's agent on the Comstock was William Sharon, who had full charge of all the affairs of the Bank in the Virginia City region. Sharon had tight control over Comstock mines and businesses. This control, and conflicts created by competing business interests, would soon work against Wiegand.
Wiegand's main concern was for the plight of the small miner and businessman, many of whom were overrun by big business interests. The press, controlled in large part by the Bank of California, suggested Wiegand was crazy and some of the public bought into the idea, though those that knew him said otherwise.
In early 1870, Wiegand began publication of the Peoples Tribune, a newspaper he started to further moral issues with the public, including the exposure of fraud and scandalous activity on the Comstock.
Always the inventor, as were other members of his family, Wiegand patented a new process for slimes and tailings reduction machinery in 1874. A few years later he was involved in a new mercury and silver separation process.
In the mid to late 1870's Wiegand taught assaying classes in Virginia City that included blowpipe analyses and mineralogy.
Wiegand hung himself on June 14, 1880 in his office. Though there were injuries to the body and blood was found in unusual places in his office, his death was ruled a suicide by the Storey County Coroner. He was suffering serious debt, though his wife felt it was under control. He also suffered fits of what he himself considered insanity, and he feared that mental condition as an ultimate fate at old age.
Date: 1868
Country (if not USA):
State: Nevada
City: Virginia City
Provenance:
Auction Location:
3555 Airway Drive Suite 309, Reno, Nevada, 89511, United States
Previewing Details:
Preview
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Nevada State Sales Tax
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NSST |
8.375% |
Nevada Sales Tax |
| CSST |
7.25% |
California Sales Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
25% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
SHIPPING & HANDLING: The customer is responsible for all shipping and packaging charges. We offer shipping service as a convenience to our buyers. Items are not shipped until the invoice and shipping charges are completely paid. Shipping costs will be calculated and billed separately after your items have been paid for. Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers: FedEx, UPS, USPS or DHL. Pick up is available from our Reno office, once you have received your invoice post auction, with 24 hours notice given to HWAC prior to pick-up.
Payment Details:
Due on receipt of invoice.
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS
This is a Live Auction conducted by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC (HWAC).
1. The placing of a bid shall constitute the bidder’s acceptance of these terms of sale.
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3. COINS, CURRENCY AND PRECIOUS METALS, Insurance. The buyer’s commission for this section is 20.5%. Coins and currency shall be defined as any regular Federal issue circulating coins and currency. Tokens are not considered coins. Precious metals shall be defined as ingots, silver or gold rounds, bullion items and gold nuggets. Mineral specimens are not considered under the precious metals category. Commemorative items such as metals and ribbons are not considered coins of precious metals. However, lots that consist entirely of gold or silver of high purity, including commemorative metals, are considered precious metals. Please contact our office if you need clarification on a specific lot.
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5. SHIPPING & HANDLING: The customer is responsible for all shipping and packaging charges. We offer shipping service as a convenience to our buyers. Items are not shipped until the invoice and shipping charges are completely paid. Shipping costs will be calculated and billed separately after your items have been paid for. Purchases will be shipped via our approved, insured carriers: FedEx, UPS, USPS or DHL. Pick up is available from our Reno office, once you have received your invoice post auction, with 24 hours notice given to HWAC prior to pick-up.
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8. LIVE AUCTION ABSENTEE BIDDING: Mail or FAX Absentee bids for the live auction MUST be received by 5pm Pacific Time the day before the auction. Bids accepted after the cutoff time will be represented live only if an agent is available and will not be considered absentee or given first priority as such. It is your responsibility to submit all lot numbers and bid amounts accurately. Absentee bids MUST be equal to at least 50% of the low estimate if an estimate is provided. Bids on “No Lots” or “Withdrawn” Lots will not be executed. Bids made in amounts that do not conform to the bid increment table under Item #13 will be automatically rounded up or down by the computer, or rounded to the nearest proper bid increment at the discretion of the auctioneer. Absentee bids are entered into a computer that will bid live on your behalf at the auction. Absentee bids will compete live against other absentee bids, live internet bidders, floor bidders and phone bidders.
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BE ADVISED: Auction participation through the live Internet bidding site is not 100% foolproof. The technology for this process is always changing, and the operation of it and the corresponding Internet connectivity issues are far beyond our control. Some folks have attempted to use the live Internet bidding process as their primary method of bidding, and have been quite successful. Others have failed completely. Depending upon your computer, server, host, and other factors, Internet signals may be delayed, such that bids may not be received in time. We cannot be held responsible for these delays, or for the lack of placed bids in a timely manner, or any other factors leading to unaccepted bids that are far beyond our control. Bidders should always have a backup plan for lots they highly desire. Live participation is best, followed by phone participation. We will not reopen lots for missed bids.
12. RESERVES: Most of the lots in this auction are unreserved. Precious metals may be reserved at or near or slightly below spot, at the auctioneer's discretion.
13. BIDDING INCREMENTS: All bids must be submitted in U.S. dollars and in whole dollar amounts only in the appropriate increments as outlined below. If you choose to submit bids in an increment not listed below, your bid will be rounded to the nearest increment and you will be expected to pay the amount to which the bid was rounded should your bid be the winning bid. If you have any questions about an appropriate bid amount, please call us.
14. BID REDUCTION: All winning absentee bids will be reduced, if necessary, to the next bidding increment up from the last competing bid, as long as the minimum bid requirement has been met. For example, if you submit an absentee bid of $1000 and the next highest competing bid is $250, then you will win the lot for $275.
15. BID INFORMATION: Collectors often ask in advance the price level of a particular lot. We will give out the current competitive high absentee bid until we close the day before the live auction. You may also view absentee bids online at www.holabirdamericana.com. While we try to update the absentee bids as often as necessary, bids received close to the bidding deadline might not be reflected online, and we disclaim any responsibility for any bids made in reliance upon inaccuracies on our website, which may be beyond our control. We do not own any of the live Internet bidding platforms, and thus many aspects of the Internet technology are out of our control.
16. BID CANCELLATION: If you wish to cancel or change a bid after you have submitted your bids to us due to an error, you MUST PHONE us to advise us of this. Bid cancellations through mail, email, or faxes are not advisable. Errors are easy to make. Please call us if you have any questions on this.
17. All stock certificates, checks, warrants, and other financial documents sold herein are sold as antiquities, and have no financial, securities, or public trading value whatsoever.
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22. NON-PAYMENT: HWAC reserves the right to cancel any invoice not paid in full within 15 days. A cancelled invoice does not relieve the bidder from their obligation to pay seller fees and buyer’s premiums compensating HWAC for its services in conducting the auction. Interest shall run on all outstanding balances at the highest rate permitted by law. HWAC shall have a lien against the merchandise purchased by the bidder, and any other of bidder’s property then held by HWAC or its affiliates, to secure payment of the invoice, and with respect thereto HWAC shall have all the rights of a secured creditor under the Nevada Commercial Code, including but not limited to the right of sale. HWAC may sell the lot(s) securing the invoice to any under bidders in the auction that the lot(s) appeared, or at subsequent private or public sale, or relist the lot(s) in a future auction conducted by HWAC. A defaulting bidder agrees to pay for the reasonable costs of resale (including a 10% seller’s commission, if consigned to an auction conducted by HWAC). The defaulting bidder is liable to pay any difference between his or her total original invoice for the lot(s), plus any applicable interest, and the net proceeds for the lot(s) if sold at private sale or the subsequent hammer price of the lot(s) less the 10% seller’s commissions, if sold at an HWAC auction. If HWAC refers any invoice to an attorney for collection, the bidder agrees to pay attorney’s fees, court costs, and other collection costs incurred by HWAC. Any bidder who fails to follow the terms of payment will be reported to iCollector, Live Auctioneers, Invaluable, or applicable bidding platform, and may be barred from participating in future Holabird Western Americana auctions.
23. CONDITION: We strongly recommend that you attend the live preview to see lots in their entirety. Conditions are not always noted, and large lots may not be itemized due to catalog restraints. For questions, detailed information, or additional images of any lot please contact our office at 775-851-1859. Bidders are responsible for understanding the condition of items. Conditions noted are subjective, and may differ person to person. High resolution images of all items are available online for inspection. HWAC is not responsible for condition discrepancies; it is the bidders responsibility to determine condition prior to bidding.
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25. This sale is being held under the laws of the State of Nevada.
26. HWAC shall not be held responsible for any problem due to the bidder’s failure to follow the rules, terms and conditions of this sale, or any failure to bid due to the loss of the online auction process provided by any of the online auction networks; or missed bids, changed bids or cancelled due the bidder’s failure to follow the proper bidding procedure outlined herein.
27. By placing a bid or otherwise participating in the auction, Bidder accepts these Terms and Conditions, and specifically agrees to the dispute resolution provided herein.
28. HWAC shall not be responsible for consequential damages, incidental damages, compensatory damages, or any other damages arising or claimed to be arising from the auction on any lot. Bidder’s sole remedy for any proven act or omission shall be rescission of sale and refund of the amount paid by Bidder.
29. Any claim, dispute, or controversy in connection with, relating to and/or arising out of the Auction, participation in the Auction, award of lots, damages of claims to lots, descriptions, condition reports, provenance, estimates, return and warranty rights, any interpretation of these Terms and Conditions, any alleged verbal modification of these Terms and Conditions and/or any purported settlement shall be exclusively heard by, and the parties consent to exclusive in personal jurisdiction of, the Superior Court of Washoe County, Nevada. The parties expressly waive any right to trial by jury. Any claim must be brought within one (1) year of the auction from which the claim arose or the claim is waived. In every case, the prevailing party shall be entitled to an award of its attorney’s fees and costs.